This week we have been asked to share the responses of individuals that we have spoken with about culture and diversity. As we strive to define these concepts for ourselves, we know that the meanings are different for others. We take those perspectives and allow them to shape our own definitions.
In my conversations with friends and colleagues, I found that their definitions of culture and diversity were similar and insightful. One colleague spoke of culture as a broad term that encompassed many groups of people of similar characteristics, yet also has the potential to be a narrow designation. She acknowledged that culture is not only one's ethnicity or heritage, that it also includes their family practices and traditions. A friend struggled to define culture as one specific definition, but diversity was something that was easier to explain. She called it the idea that differences are accepted among individuals and many cultures are brought together in communities living and working together. We talked about culture and she said that she understood that it included more than just race or ethnicity. Finally, I spoke with another friend that spoke of local culture and diversity as one in crisis. There are areas of our community that clearly struggle with unemployment, poverty, and discrimination. In this conversation, culture was defined mostly as race and ethnicity and diversity was limited to areas outside the community in which people live.
Most people I spoke with were aware that culture is more than a person's race or ethnicity, though few could identify the less obvious characteristics of culture, such as socioecomonic status, parenting styles, and home life practices. Diversity seems to be an easier concept for most people to define and identify. They know that differences are what make us unique and what bring us together to create communities. In reflecting on these individuals' answers, I understand that we all struggle to define culture and diversity for ourselves personally. We can generate a definition, but when we think carefully about either our own culture or that of the children and families we serve, we have a lot of work to do to fully understand where they are coming from and how to best provide for their needs.
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI also found that everyone I talked with struggled to define these words. They are not as easy to understand as they are to read the definitions of.
Thanks for your post!
Hi Katherine, This lesson encouraged me to explore my attitudes about the complexity of the definition of culture and diversity as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen speaking to my colleagues I found they had to take some time to gather their thoughts on what their personal definition were. Defining diversity and culture are very complex ideas or terms to define. Listening to their responses made we reflect back on my own personal definition and how similar or different mine was.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, although the questions were straight forward, it seemed difficult for people to answer.
ReplyDeleteKatherine,
ReplyDeleteI found just the opposite, that diversity was much more difficult to answer than culture. People I interviewed understood culture to be about foods, langugae and beliefs, they diversity they just looked at me kind of confused and had to really think about it. I think it's very complex and people are not sure how to explain it.
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your responses about culture and diversity. It is not easy to know a person's culture from looking on the outside. Many cultures are deeply rooted into an individual, so it is very important to understand the different cultures of the diverse nation we are now living in. As an educator, understanding the different cultures will help us to better provide for the needs of the children and their families we serve.